Manufacture of felt and like hats.



v WIT SSES v P. BOYLE.

MANUFACTURE OF FELT AND LIKE-\HATS.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 11, 1910.

1,043,731 Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

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' COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0, WASHINGTON, D. c,

FREDERICK BOYLE, 0F STOCKPO RTQENGLAND.

MANUFACTURE OF FELT AND LIKE HATS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

Application filed November 11, 1910. Serial Ito. 591,840.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK RoYLE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Stockport, in the county of Ches ter, in the Kingdom of England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to the Manufacture of Felt and Like Hats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved method of stiffening hard and soft felt or like hats, that is to say, hats suchas are usually made by shaping the material itself; the invention does not include caps or hats such as are usually made by milliners and others by sewing together pieces of cloth or felt. According to the present invention solutions of nitrocellulose or other preparations containing nitrated cellulose are used for stiffening purposes. It has been found experimentally that by the use of a nitrocellulose preparation in this way felt hats can be made lighter and more durable, more flexible if required and clearer in color, than hats made by the previously known processes.

A hat manufactured in accordance with my invention is shown in the annexed draw- In the preferred method ofworking according to the present invention, as applied to a stiff felt hat with a curled brim, the process is as follows: Instead of stifiening the hat body with a solution of shellac or the like after the planking process,"the unstiffened body is dyed and the crown part thereof is shaped by any of the known methods such as blocking with hot water or steam, ironing on a block and pressing in a hydraulic press. After this the hat is ounced and the turned over edge or curl of the brim is formed by means of a hydraulic curling press and hand ironing, or by steaming or in any other suitable way. A stiffening solution is next applied to the crown of the hat by means of a brush or sprayer or any other suitable device, the stiffening solution being composed, for instance, of nitro-cellulose dissolved in amyl acetate; just enough of the solution is used to soak through the felt and to appear on the other surface thereof. The hat is then dried slowly until the stiffening solution recedes from the surface, leaving the latter apparently dry. After this has taken place,

but while the crown of the hat is still quite soft, the crown is drawn on a block of the shape required and is worked down to the block by the operators hands or in any other known way until it fits closely to the block. The crown is then thoroughly dried on the block, and when it is removed the brim and curl portions are similarly soaked with the stiffening solution, partly dried, worked on to a brim shape by hand or otherwise, and then completely dried before being removed from the brim shape which latter may conveniently be split to allow of easy removal. After the hat has been completely stiffened and shaped as above described its surface should be clear of the stiffening material and its surface may be finished if required 'byslightly pouncing it if desired and by veluring. Any accidental spots may be removed by rubbing or by scrubbing with a brush dipped in amyl acetate. If desired also more of the stiffening solution may be applied as, for instance, by painting the inside of the crown or the curl. reason it is necessary to resoften the felt this may be done by wetting it with amyl acetate or any other known solvent for the nitrocellulose or the like.

If for any The invention is not limited to the particular process of manufacture above explained as variations thereof will suggest themselves to hat manufacturers and may be adopted if preferred. For instance the hats may be stiffened at other stages of manufacture than the one above mentione or the curl may be stiffened and shaped before the rest of the brim is stiffened or after the same. The crown of the hat also may be pressed after stiffening in a hydraulic press, or the brim or curl may be ironed to shape.

The invention is not limited necessarily to the use of a solution of nitro-cellulose in amyl acetate, but it includes also the use of any suitable varnish made from'a nitrated cellulose with a suitable solvent therefor, and coloring or other materials may be mixed with the nitrated cellulose if required; collodion, and transparent celluloid which also contains camphor, may be used for example in the varnish. Again, two or more solutions may be used, the felt being treated first for example with a solution of nitro-cellulose and afterward treated with a solution of camphor.

Any suitable apparatus or method may be adopted for applying the stiffening solution to the felt and for shaping the felt.

The stiffening solution according to this invention may be applied to the whole or any part of the hat.

The invention is also not limited to the use of stiffening solutions of any particular strengths, but as a rule the solution will be made as strong or concentrated as possible for treating the curl and brim portions of hats, and a rather weaker solution may be used for the crown portions according to the degree of stiffening desired.

I declare that what I claim is 1. The method of stiffening felt hats, which consists in thoroughly impregnating the felt with a solution consisting in the main of nitrated cellulose and a solvent thereof; and allowing the solution to dry within the felt.

2. The method of stiffening felt hats, which consists in impregnating the felt with a solution consisting in the main of nitrated cellulose and a solvent thereof; allowing the felt to become partially dry; and applying the hat while in such condition to a hat block and allowing it to become thoroughly dry while thus supported.

3. The method of stiffening felt hats, which consists in impregnating the crown or body of the hat with a solution consisting in the main of nitrated cellulose and a solvent thereof; allowing the same to become partially dry; placing the partially-dried crown or body upon a hat-block of the desired form; permitting the crown to thoroughly dry while thus supported; and finally treating the brim in a similar manner.

4. The method of making hats of felt material which requires stiffening, which consists in forming the material to the required shape; then impregnating the crown of the hat with a solution consisting in the main of nitrated cellulose and a solvent thereof; allowing the hat-crown. to dry on a shapingblock of the required form; then impregnating the brim and curl portions of the hat with a solution consisting in the main of nitrated cellulose and a solvent thereof; and latter portions to dry while supported by suitable shaping bodies.

5. The method of making hats from the usual approximately conical felt blanks, which consists in first dyeing the felt material; then blocking and pressing the crown portion to the required shape; forming the brim and curl portions to the required shape; impregnating the crown portion with a solution consisting in the main of nitrated cellulose and a solvent thereof; allowing the crown portion to dry while supported upon a shaping block of the required form; impregnating the brim and curl portions with a solution consisting in the main of nitrated cellulose; and finally allowing these latter port-ions to dry while supported upon suitable shaping bodies.

6. The method of making hats from felt material, which consists in first dyeing the material; and thereafter impregnating the same with a solution of nitrated cellulose, the nitratedcellulose drying within the body of the felt.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name this 5 day of November 1910, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK RO YLE.

Witnesses:

HURERT A. GILL, RICHARD W. VVILLIAMs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. X 

